R v Walsh

Jury refuses to criminalise a Magistrate for looking at fisting porn

Former Boris Johnson fire aide has been acquitted of possession of “extreme pornography”.

A barrister charged with possession of extreme pornography depicting fisting and urethral sounding was acquitted today by a jury at Kingston Crown Court.

Simon Walsh, 50, is an Alderman of the City of London and a Magistrate. He was a Mayoral Appointee to the London Fire Authority until he was sacked last year after being charged with possession of extreme pornography under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.

In a victory for freedom of sexual expression Walsh was acquitted on all charges.

The images depicted sexual acts which are legal to perform between consenting adults. Whilst he admitted possessing the images of fisting and sounding; the jury were persuaded that these acts were not “extreme”.

In a legal first Walsh’s solicitor Myles Jackman of Hodge Jones & Allen LLP was given permission by the Judge to live tweet the trial. After the Trial he commented: ”This intrusive prosecution into the private sexual fantasies of consenting adults was brought with the DPP’s express consent. It took a jury to defend sexual freedoms by repelling the voyeur State from intruding on the privacy of an individual’s bedroom.”

A Backlash spokesperson commented: ”The CPS seems to be fixated with prosecuting representations of relatively common, private sexual acts between adult men. If lack of consent cannot be proven, are there really sufficient grounds to intervene?”

Notes to Editors:
1. Backlash is an umbrella campaign providing academic campaigning and legal resources in the defence of freedom of sexual expression.

2. Myles Jackman specialises in sexual obscenity cases and is the legal adviser to Backlash. His personal blog is here: